Car.



No.v 728,044.. PATENTED MAY 12, 1903,.

B. w. SUMMERS. v

1H: onms FUER: co. PHoToLrrNQ, WASHINGTON. n. cA

VPA'IEN'I'ED MAY l2, 1903 E. W. SUMMERS.

CAB..

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 6. 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET z N o MODEL.

o ceo o o o INVENTOR MLN O O0 OOG. o. m

WITNESSES 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

f PATBNTED MAY 12v, 190,3.

E. W. SUL/mima.4

GAR. APPLICATION FILED DEQ. 6, 1902.

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WITNESSES gr C l arcas co, Now-umu.. wAsHwsroNfn. c.

tlivrrnn STATES:

EDGAR W. SUMMERS, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

CAR.

SPECIFICATION brmingpart of Letters Patent No. 728,044, dated May 12, 1903.,

Application filed December 6,1902. Serial No. 134,159. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR W. SUMMERS, of Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Car, of which the following is a full, clear,` and exact description, reference being had tof My invention relates to the class of cars` having steel framing and is designed to prol vide an improved construction wherein the vertical loads are supported upon the girder sides and upon continuous cross-beams connecting these sides and extending beneath` the door. The car is made light and strong by doing away with all center sills. The sides of the car, which are necessarily present to retain the load, are thus utilized to support the load and do away with the additional weight of a center sill, which must be comparatively shallow on account of' the limited space between the trucks and the floor. The longitudinal buffing and tugging forces are resisted by longitudinal members, which eX- tend from end to end of the car and are so connected and supported that substantially no vertical load is taken by them. With a center-sill construction where a vertical load is carried upon a center sill the' depth of the member must be such that the greater part of the member is below the line in which the horizontal force is taken by the couplers,

ywhich causes the greaterpart of the heavy equal distribution of the strain,all of the fibers The invention also relates to a peculiar im` ofthis horizontal member are utilized, and

proved rib or fiange construction at the upper end of the sides and also to the construction of the draft-rigging irons and adjacent parts.

In the drawings, inwhich I show my invention as applied to a gondola car having steel framing and sides and a wooden floor and a drop end-gate, 2 2 represent the car sides, which are in the form of girders Ahaving internal vertical stideners 3. The plates forming'these sides are bent outwardly at an angle, as shown at 4, and thence extend inwardly and horizontally, forming a fiat upper surface 5, the edge flanged portion then being bent downwardly and backwardly, as shown at 6. This arrangement of the flange or rib I consider broadly new, and ,desire to cover the same, irrespective of the other points. It will be noted that the plane of the side intersects the dat top 5 and preferably bisects it, as shown. This is of advantage, for the reason 'thatI obtain a broad top flange which greatly increases the strength of the girder top flange as a compression member, while at the same 'which the ends of the floor-beams 8 are rivered. lThe upper part of the flange portion 3 is preferably widened and bentin to fit the flange 6, to which it is secured by-,rivets These stiffeners are used at the ends of each cross floor-beam, and two cross floor-beams 8 are used at the holsters, these beingg-.preferably depressed in their central portions, as shown, to accord with the construction of the truck. I-beam sections 9 9 are secured between the pairs of cross-beams S' at points over the side bearings 10 of the truck, as

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shown in Fig. 5. The weight is entirely taken upon these side bearings, and as the load is supported near the ends I am enabled to use the same cross-section of floor-beams as at intermediate points between the holsters. The buffing and tugging forces are resisted by a longitudinal central column, preferably formed of two channel members 1l, which are tied together and are respectively above and below the horizontal plane drawn through the axis of the coupler. The flanges 12 of these sections extend in opposite directions away from the center, and the sections are rigidly secured at their ends to the draft-rigging and are connected at intermediate points to the cross-beams to a sufficient extent to prevent buckling under the com pressiveload.

The wooden floor stringers 13 are supported in the usual manner upon the cross-beams, and to them is secured the wooden flooring 14. To prevent the weight of this flooring or any load upon it from being brought upon the members 1l at points between the floorbeams, a filler-strip l5 is laid upon the web of the upper member l1 directly above each floor-beam, and on these fillers rests the longitudinalslringerlfi. wooden flooring above the upper edge of' the flanges 12 of the upper column member, and the fillers prevent sagging between the crossbcam to such a point that load will be brought upon the flanges. The flanges 12 of the lower member 11 are preferably flattened out into the plane of the web beneath the bolster, as shown at 17, to give clearance above the truck-transom. Diagonal braces 18, extending in a horizontal plane, are secured to the lower member 11 and to the inwardly-bent lower flanges 19 of the car sides at the level shown in Fig. 4, except as to those which are secured to the bolster. The braces 2O at the bolster are in the same horizontal plane as the top flanges of the cross floor-beams to give clearance over the wheels of the truck. The end portions of the top flanges of'the cross-beams are coped off or notched back, as shown at 21, to allow the webs 7 of the internal stifeners to lie against the webs of these beams, to which they are riveted. To strengthen the bolster and the draft-rigging, I interpose between the cross-beams S a pair of diaphragme 22, which are formed oi'pressed plates with flanges extending around them and riveted between the cross-beams.

I employ two draft-beams 23, (shown as of channel form,) with their flanges extending outwardly in opposite directions, the rear ends of the webs of these beams being flanged laterally at 24 and secured to the web of the bolster-beam. The outer portion of the top flange 25 of each draft-beam is slotted and turned up into the plane of' the web in order to receive anglestiffeners 26 to be riveted to the web at this point and extend above the top flange. These vertical angular stiffeners 2G have cut and laterally-bent lugs 27, which support the wooden platform 28 at the end of The Stringer raises the- 'mamie the car. The upper ends of the rear flanges of stiffeners 26 are riveted to the web of the transverse Z-bar beam 29, the lower flange 30 of which rests on the top horizontal flange of' the draft-sills 23 and also on the top flangeof a transverse channel 3l, which is pressed to provide for varying depth of web, The ends of the channel 3l are flanged laterally and in wardly and riveted to the car sides, the lower flange of the side being riveted to the lower flange of this channel. The channel 31, forming a portion of the end sill, acts as a brace between the lower sides ofthe car and the draftrigging, andthe inner ends of the two parts 3l. terminate at the sides of the channels 23 and are riveted to the lower parts ofthe stideners 2G. Between the outer ends of the draft-sills is slipped a hollow casting 32, which is open at the bottonr. This castingextends backwardly to such a distance to receive the front follower of the draftgear, and its outer end is formed with a heavy flange, which extends above the coupler and receives the heavy blows from the horn of the coupler. This casting is riveted to the webs of the draft-sill 23 and is provided with inner horizontal grooves to receive a carry-iron 33, which may be slipped in from the outer end and is held by a bolt 34, which extends within an open groove in the bottom of the carry-iron and through the sides of the casting. This bolt merely performs the function of holding the carry -iron in place, as the weight of the coupleris supported directly upon the flanges 35 of the casting under the carry-iron. The Z-bar 29 extends to such a level above the floor that when the endgate 37 is dropped down into horizontal position the flange ofthe Z-bar will be at a level about the same as the top of the door when down. This gives a great depth of cross end beam above the hole for the coupler and at the same time does not prevent the laying of long material from car to car when the end-gates are down. The Z- bar supports the door against bulging from shifting loads in the car, and the Z-bar in turn is supported by the stiffeners 26, which are secured tothe draft-sills. The ends of the Z-bar 29 are secured to internal stiften ers 3G, which are of angle form and are riveted to the side. This gives a rigid construction at the bottom of the stiffener to prevent the top of the car from sagging outwardly at the end.

The advantages of my invention are many and, broadly speaking, result from the extreme lightness and strength of the car. By placing the girders which support the Vertical loads at the sides of the car I utilize the wellknown principle that the same weight of' material distributed in a deep girder has a greater resistance poweragainst bendingthan in a shallower girder. In this connection the continuous cross floor-beams act to transmit IOC IIO

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the vertical loads' to the supporting side gird- The doing away with the central longitudinal sill removes all uncertainty as to where the load is carried, the side girders being proportioned. to carry the entire vertical load. The putting and tugging forces are transmitted to and resisted by a column which extends from end to end of the car and which is equally distributed as to its material above and below the central horizontal plane of the couplers. These forces are therefore equally distributed throughout the column, and hence there is no surplus material required on account of unequal distribution of force. This column does not receive the vertical load to any substantial extent, and it is supported at each floor-beam against lateral deflection, so that the amount of material required is reduced. It will be noted that this column differs essentially from a central longitudinal sill, which acts as a column in ordinary construction, since such a center sill is deflected by the vertical load, and hence its resistance against endwise compression is decreased. The peculiar manner of Hanging the top of the sides is advantageous by reason of obtaining a wide compression -ange Without cutting down the width between the sides. This flange may be bent inwardly, then outwardly in a horizontal plane, and thence downwardly and inwardly in the opposite direction to that shown, though I prefer the latter form in this type of car. The end-sill construction gives plenty of depth above the opening for the coupler to give the required resistance, while there is no hindrance to laying long material over its top when the door is down. The Z-bar is sti'ened centrally to prevent bulging and is tied to the sides at its ends to prevent the sides from spreading. The longitudinal wooden stringers rest at their ends upon the lower inwardly-projecting flange ot' the Z-bar, which in turn is stiftened by the upper flange of the channel 3l. The end louder-casting takes the shear oftl the carry-iron bolt. One bolt holds the carry-iron in place, and the weightot' the coupler is supported on the lower side flanges of the buttercasting. The raising-strip for the upper member 11 takes the vertical load oft the column and puts it on the cross-beams. Also by holding the wood away from the web it keeps the surface dry and prevents corrosion.

Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the car and its parts. Many features of the construction may be used in other types of cars, such as box-cars, and in my claims l intend to cover the features of construction separately as well as in combination.

Ido not claim herein,broadly,the use of continuous cross-sills which are secured to side girders, as the same is disclosed and claimed in my copending application,Serial No.51,425, filed March 16, 1901.

I claim- 1. A car having cross-beams and a column extending centrally and horizontally .from end to end of the car,said cross-beams extending continuously from side to side of the car and between the upper and lower parts of the column; substantially as described.

2. A car having continuous transverse Iloorbeams extending from side to side, and a central longitudinal column extending from end to end of the car and arrangedV to resist huiug and tugging forces, the cross-beams receiving and transmitting the vertical load substantially independent of the column; substantially as described.

3. A car having girder sides, and cross iloorbeams extending continuously between them, said car having central longitudinal members extending from end to end of the car and receiving the cross-sills between them, said longitudinal member being arranged to resist the bu'iug and tugging forces only, the vertical loads being carried by the cross-beams and girder sides; substantially as described.

4. A car side having its upper portion bent laterally at an angle and provided with a horizontal-ilange extension, the plane of the side intersecting the horizontal flange; substantially as described.

5. A car side which is bent laterally at an angle along its upper portion, the bent portion having a horizontally-extending portion with a downwardly and backwardly bent flange portion, the plane of the side intersecting the horizontal portion; substantially as described.

6. A car side which is bent laterally at an angle along its upper portion, the bent vportion having a further. horizontally-extending portion, the plane of the side bisecting the horizontal portion; substantially as described.

7. A car side having its upper portion bent laterally at an angle and provided with a horizontal-ilange extension, the plane of the side intersecting the horizontal portion, and vertical stiffeners arranged to support the overhanging portion; substantially as described.

8. A car side having its upper portion bent laterally at an angle, the bent portion having a further horizontally-extendin g portion with a' downwardly and backwardly bent flange portion, the plane of the side intersecting the horizontal portion, and vertical stiffeners secured to the backwardly-bent flange portion; substantially as described.

9. A car side having its upper portion bent outwardly at an angle between the vertical and horizontal, the bent portion having an inwardly-extending horizontal portion with a downwardly and outwardly bent flange portion, the plane of the side intersecting the horizontal portion, and vertical stiiieners arranged along t-he inner face ot' the side and supporting the overhangin g portion; substantially as described.

10. A car having a vertical side stiiener of angle form with the top bent in and thereat ICO IIO

widened longitudinally and secured to a fiange upon the side; substantially as described.

1l. A car having continuous cross-beams formed of rolled I-beams extending continuously from side to side of the car, and having a Flange cut away at the end, and a side connection secured to the I-beam and extending past its ange; substantially as described.

12. A car having a bolster provided with separated side members forming the floorbeams of the car, connecting members extending between them near their ends, and side bearings on said connecting members arranged to transmit the entire load of the car; substantially as described.

13. A car having a drop end-gate, and a transverse beam extending continuously from side to side at the end of the car, the beam extending above the floor to approximately the height of the gate when lowered; substantially as described.

14. A car having a drop end-gate, and a transverse beam extending from side to side of the carat its end, said beam extending above the floor to approximately the height of the gate when lowered, the bottom part of the end-gate abutting against said beam when the gate is in raised position; substantially as described.

15. A car having a drop end-gate, a transverse beam extending from side to side of the car at its end, the bottom part of the end-gate abutting against said beam, and intermediate central braces for the beam; substantially as described.

16. A car having a drop end-gate, a transverse beam extending continuously from side to side of the car at the end, and stieners at the ends of the car sides and attached to said beam; substantially as described.

1'7. A car having a drop end-gate and a transverse beam consisting of a Z-bar, the

longitudinal stringere having their ends supported on the fiange of said Z-bar; substantially as described.

18. A car having a drop end-gate, a transverse anged end beam extending above the iioor, and sill members beneath and attached to the bottom ange of the beam to give lateral support to the draft-rigging; substantially as described. l

19. A car having a buffer-casting secured in the end portion of a central longitudinal member, said casting extending back to and forming a support for the front follower-iron and having a front enlargement arranged to receive the blows from the horn of the coupler; substantially as described.

20. Acarhavingacoupler-support secured in the end portion of a central longitudinal member, said support consisting of a carryiron resting on ledges of the buier; substantially as described. y

2l. A car havingacoupler-support secured in the end portion of a central longitudinal member, said support consisting of a carryiron, a builer having ledges supporting the carry-iron, and a retaining-bolt arranged to hold the iron in place; substantially as described.

22. A car having diagonal floor-braces, and a column extending from end to end of the car and arranged to receive and resist buiting and tugging forces only; substantially as described.

23. A car having sides of girder form with inturned bottom flanges, and a floor having diagonal braces attached to said fianges; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDGAR W. SUMMERS. Witnesses:

JOHN MILLER, H. M. CORWIN. 

